Over time, several types of knots have been developed to secure an object or thing to a fixed member by means of a rope. If a load is applied to the rope, these types of conventional knots were developed so as to not fail or release the secured relationship between the object and the fixed member.
A common knot used when securing one object to another under a load is the self-binding trucker's hitch knot. There are several variations of the trucker's hitch knot, all of which use a loop in the standing part of the rope as a make-shift pulley in order to obtain a mechanical advantage for cinching a load down or otherwise making a rope taut. The knots formed in the trucker's hitch, however, when loaded, can become difficult, if not impossible, to untie.
Furthermore, if a tied horse becomes scared or frightened, the horse will generally attempt to run from the thing or object scaring him. If a horse is tied to a fixed or an immovable object, such as a pole, a horse trailer, a wall, or a fence, and becomes frightened, the horse typically “hangs back” or tries to pull away from the object to which the horse is fastened, thereby putting tension on the securing knot. The horse will also typically continue this pulling behavior until harming himself, breaking the securing hardware, or will lunge forward trying another method of escape. Because the securing knot is under tension and a force load has been applied, thereby tightening the knot, it is often impossible to release the securing knot and, accordingly, release the secured relationship between the horse and the fixed member without cutting the rope.